Double Sighted Miko
by AyLi
Summary: A battle changed Kimiko Tohomiko life forever. Hoping that she could just leave her past behind, she spent most of her days living of a repetitious cycle of all work and no play until she ended up facing a certain Brazilian monk who won't let her go.
1. Chapter 1

_A young Brazilian boy woke up and made his way towards a certain best friend of his. His smile was genuine and his emerald orbs shone with much enthusiasm. The unexpected ambush against Jack Spicer, Wuya, and Hannibal Bean was the best thing that ever happened here in the Xiaolin temple; one battle had earned them the possession of all the Shen Gong Wu artifacts! Master Fung was certainly pleased; everyone celebrated that night. _

_Well, not everyone came to the gathering. _

_Unaware of his best friend's turmoil, he was determined to get her out of her room. Besides, who wanted to spend a birthday locked up in a room? _

_He checked his surroundings; he held shaving cream in one hand and silly string in the other. As he was ready to give her a traditional birthday prank, he found a small note lying idly on an empty mat. _

_His eyes widen once he read it aloud. _

**_I am sorry. I cannot stay. Please, I have no choice._**

_**Forgive me.**_

_**-Kimiko**_

**Double Sighted **

"**_Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end."_**

**1. **

Twenty-eight-year old Kimiko Tohomiko had experienced the worse.

Work, fancy parties, meetings, speeches, and several cups of coffee---that was the basis of her life ever since she came back to it. Her popularity grew all across Japan. Success, unrevealed secrets, and her love life were the public's only interest. Everyone questioned her constantly about her disappearance and her sudden return to Japan fifteen years ago. Her father managed to silent the media for a while about it; she moved on from there leaving her tragic past behind.

She had to admit, her life now was much harder than before. Being a vice president in a prosperous family business was not easy.

Aside from the constant stress, having no time for herself, restless nights, and deadlines she had to deal with, there was another thing she must add to her 'to do' list---staying alive.

Here she was, lying in her bed _again_, as she listened to the paparazzi swarming outside her front door. Her angry uncle who wanted to conquer her father's business shot her during one of her conference meetings again. Several home doctors removed the bullet from her shoulder and left several hours ago. Police still could not track the culprit down; her father continued the meeting without her. She was stuck, at home, with the role of being the helpless rich daughter in distress.

Kimiko gritted her teeth; she hated her life.

Kimiko sighed as she reached for her silky robes and made her way to the bathroom. Mist surrounded the large white tiled room as she started to strip off her pajamas and soaked her worn out body right into a small hot tub. The pressure from the heat wooed her body gently; a sense of fatigue rushed within her.

Scatter pictures faltered into her dazed mind. Then a stench of blood reeked and blinded her sense of logic. Her heart was torn apart; the warmth that she once had was now gone all thanks to one battle. Numbness ran through her body as if it lost all sense of living. Kimiko just wanted to scream; she felt like she was losing control of her own body . . .

Wait, something was not right.

She shot up from the tub and was face to face with a feminine shadowy figure. The creature's eyes were blood shot crimson; her outfit was seductive and poised. She swirled a large flaming staff around her, mumbling some kind of chant. Kimiko wanted to run and call security. She felt weak; she felt the dark power slowly conquered her.

Suddenly a gush of strong wind crashed into the bathroom and distracted the creature. A mixture of debris and steam showered all around them; the creature growled at the outlined figure that was afloat in midair. The mysterious being charged directly at it, right after it managed to escape. Last minute, the gush of wind vanished.

Kimiko coughed as she sat up in the tub filled with cold water and floating rubble. Chills ran down her spine when she felt something warm weighted her down. As her gaze slowly averted downwards, the mysterious being suddenly regained his consciousness and met hers.

The drenched and flustered Brazilian monk slowly backed away from the furious and confused Asian girl. He spitted out some water, looked down, felt his face heated up, looked back up and slowly formed a weak smile, "Um, hi?"

"RAIMUNDO---"

Funny, that was just the beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

**2. **

Around the mist of midnight, everything seemed to die down. The paparazzi took off. The yelling, the inanimate flying objects, and a painful rude greeting from a fellow companion had passed within all good time. Raimundo sighed deeply as he leaned against the kitchen stove with a piece of frozen pork chop pressed against his left black eye. Even with the unnecessary afflicted pain he received from a certain hothead girl; he can never wipe off the grin that ran across his face.

Hey, even though he was a little bit older than Kimiko, Raimundo was still a growing boy after all.

**_Anyways_**, he felt relief that Kimiko was fine.

The whole day seemed like a blur; in the morning, he was in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, just getting ready to perform his infamous act. Raimundo watched intensively as his siblings performed their routine acts with much perfection. Flexing his tensed muscles, he waited patiently for his father to announce his name. Suddenly, a faint change of radio stations caught his attention. He glared at his older brother Paco as he arguably told Raimundo that he wanted to listen to the news. Raimundo absently rolled his eyes and was about to perform when he heard the top story.

Without second thoughts, Raimundo ran out from the tent, took his motorcycle and went straight to the nearest airport.

Raimundo gritted his teeth. The wait for departure was overbearing; his thoughts were driving him nuts. For fifteen years, his last contact from the young Asian girl was from a post-it that laid on her empty mat on her 13th birthday. He does not know what to think. Why did she run away? Why did she betray them like that? Why was Master Fung so cool about Kimiko's absence for all these years? Why did Master Fung refuse to let anyone search for her? Did something happen to her that made her run away? Why she did not tell them about what bothered her?

Raimundo led out a shriek of frustration as he left the airport.

He ran around the block, found a pay phone, and made an important collect call. Within seconds, he was soaring across the endless skies like the good old times. Dojo questioned about the whole Kimiko situation; Raimundo just filled in of his version of the situation. Once they reached to Tokyo, Raimundo told Dojo to inform Clay and Omi about Kimiko. Within a blink of an eye, Dojo nodded and disappeared. Raimundo started to run down the streets of Tokyo, asking anyone who understood him about Kimiko Tohomiko. Most of the people he asked either pushed him away, ignored him or laughed at him. He did not understand why until the moment he stopped and looked down. The loose mossy green pants, the bright orange suspenders, the large shoes and the half clown mask may be the reason. He took off his mask and grabbed a newspaper. He ended up tossing that aside too; how can he read a newspaper if it was written in Japanese?

Sweat drenched his russet locks. His legs were killing him from running around like a lunatic all over Tokyo. All hope of finding his distressed friend diminished within seconds. He stood up and looked for the nearest pay phone. Probably he could get Omi and Clay to help him locate Kimiko . . .

A throng of reporters were rampaging the streets of Tokyo. Raimundo thought it was odd but had a gut feeling that he should follow it. Using his element, he was surfing above the clouds as the reporters and photographers led the way.

The sunset was over the horizon the moment he reached to his destination. Without thinking, he landed on the balcony of the mansion and smashed through the window door. He heard screaming; angry thoughts ran through his mind like wildfire. He busted through the bathroom door and a shadowy creature averted her eyes towards him. A combination of debris and mist covered much of his vision. He, then, irrationally attacked it the moment it escaped. Once everything cleared, he felt like he was going to have a nosebleed.

Afterwards he experienced a beating of a lifetime.

Raimundo was still drenched and worn out. He still wore green pants, orange suspenders, and one shoe (somehow, this adventurous trip made him lost a shoe).

An even-tempered Kimiko reappeared and stared at her childhood friend. If he were fifteen years younger, she would have found this amusing. Raimundo looked up, with one eye covered with raw gushy meat. She rolled her eyes.

"Why can't you wait until I give you an ice pack?"

"If I remembered it correctly," Raimundo snorted, "you're the one who gave me this black eye!"

"Well, duh," Kimiko snapped, "if you weren't so perverted and checked me out when I was in a vulnerable state I wouldn't throw a fit!"

"First of all, I didn't see a thing! Well, maybe a little bit too much---"

"RAIMUNDO!"

"Alright, chill chica! It was an accident! I didn't know you were taking a shower!"

"What are you doing here anyways?"

"Is that how you greet long time friends these days? That is great to know that you cared. After fifteen years, Kimiko, you can at least have a decency to tell me why you ran off like that! Its one thing to betray us like you did---"

"First of all," she gritted her teeth as she faced her friend, "I did not betray anyone! I ran away for a **_reason_**,"

"What was the reason you ran away then, huh? We have been friends for God knows how long! You have told me everything; we have been through the best and worse times. Heck, I helped you with your first period! When did you suddenly shut your doors on me?"

"I didn't shut any doors on you Rai! Why can you just drop it? It's my problem and I can handle it!"

"Yea, you're handling your problems _perfectly. _You locked yourself in a mansion every time someone hunts you down! Yea, that's a great plan there Kimiko."

"I was shot and some weird creature was suddenly after me last night, if you so happened to forget! I could not use my powers because w-well . . . I just can't. The public had their eyes on me the moment I stepped back into Japan. I cannot do anything irrational."

"After fifteen years, you're nothing but an excuse! You're a coward," Raimundo glared at her, "that's what you are. You ran away because of whatever reason. Now that you are so rich and famous, you are just going to keep running away and hide behind your father's wealth---"

Kimiko fought back the tears. She fought even the urge to slap him as Raimundo continued his degrading rant that tore her apart. She shut her eyes and avoided his glare before he even could finish, "I want you out."

"W-what?"

"You heard me." Kimiko sneered as she started pushing him out the kitchen door, "I want you out, now! If you traveled over a thousand miles just to degrade me, then fine you had your fun! I have my life and I don't need you to butt in!"

Raimundo turned swiftly around to pin Kimiko against the door, "I am not going anywhere. I am not one of your butlers or whatever that listened to your every command. I am not letting you go this time. I don't care if you called the police; I am going to just find a way to come back to you!"

Kimiko pushed Raimundo off her and glared at him, "Don't make me remind you again. I want you out the moment the sun rises or else,"

Before Raimundo could even protest, Kimiko slammed the door behind her.

Streaks of sunlight had broken through the windowsills as Kimiko got up and made her way into her walk-in closet. She took a deep breath and stared at her complexion. Tying her long raven hair, she made her way door a flight of stairs and smelled something delicious. Her stomach growled; she does not remember eating anything yesterday. Once she reached to the kitchen, her smile turned immediately into a frown.

"Buenos dias, Kimiko! It is _such _a beautiful morning! How do you like your eggs done: scrambled or sunny side up? Oh, and I hope you like bacon! I made them extra crispy---"

"I told you to get out!" She attempted to glare at him. After all, how can anyone be mad at him when he wore a flowery apron, a chief hat and rubber ducky boxers?

"How persistent of you," Raimundo grinned.

"You have the count to three and if you are not out afterwards I am going to call security. And with the situation I'm in, they can expect anyone to be a suspect and locked anyone up without questioning!"

"You might as well enjoy breakfast," Raimundo walked passed her without a second glance, "I am not going anywhere---"

Her cell phone started to ring. She answered it and then within seconds her eyes widen. Without uttering a word, Kimiko dragged him from the mansion to the back yard and shoved him into a nearby shed within seconds. Before Raimundo regained his senses and figured out what was going on, she disappeared from sight.

Raimundo pushed the rusty door open and stealth his way towards the front door. He hid behind a trail of rose bushes as he gazed at a tall Asian man in a business suit and another man with the same attire. The Asian man was probably Kimiko father, he thought as he tried to listen to their conversation. His gaze averted towards the man next to Kimiko's father. He was as tanned as he was with gelled back hair.

Raimundo cumulated a plan. As Kimiko's father excused him as took out his cell phone, Raimundo picked up little pebbles from the ground and started to throw them at the tanned being in the suit. The man turned around and ambled further away from Mr. Tohomiko. Once he was close enough to the sly Brazilian, he knocked him out, grabbed him, tied him up, rushed silently towards the shed, shoved the man in the shed, and rushed at Mr. Tohomiko side all within a blink of an eye. Mr. Tohomiko gazed at him oddly, "Nervous much?"

Raimundo started to sweat, "Why would you say that, sir?"

"You're sweating in the middle of October! My daughter maybe hard to handle but with your expertise I am sure that you will do just fine. Come on now,"

"Y-yes sir,"

Kimiko nearly jumped out of her skin the moment she heard her father coming in. She locked the bathroom door and changed into some descent clothes.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't come here any sooner to check on you. How are you feeling, Kimiko?"

"I'm okay I guess." Kimiko weakly grinned as she gave him a hug, "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting. I know how busy you are---"

"Nonsense, I cancelled all your meetings for today so you can get some rest."

"Are you sure that's wise? I mean, we'll be way behind schedule."

"Kimiko, you needed the rest. Anyways, I have great news."

"What is it?"

"I hired a new personal bodyguard for you."

Kimiko raised a brow, "What's wrong with Tao?"

"Well, he was the reason you were shot. He's now down in the police station being questioned."

Kimiko felt her temper rose within her. Even her own cousin wanted her dead because of greed.

"I want you to meet Mr. Jose Makoto, your new personal bodyguard."

The moment the new bodyguard appeared, Kimiko shrieked. She covered her mouth; her father gave a suspicious look.

"Is anything wrong, Kimiko?"

Kimiko glared at her new personal bodyguard who could not help but to give her a genuine smirk, "N-nothing is wrong, Daddy."

Raimundo grinned as he removed his shades, took Kimiko's hand and lightly pressed it against his lips, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tohomiko. I promise to do my best to protect you at all times and _never _leave your side."

Kimiko gritted her teeth once more; she wanted to give him a piece of her mind until her father could not help but the chuckle, "I'm glad you two got along so quickly. Well, Kimiko, I must go. If you need anything, just call me."

Before Kimiko could even say anything, her father was gone. She turned around and glared at Raimundo. He removed the stolen jacket and loosened the black tie. He slipped off his shoes and walked back into the kitchen.

Kimiko followed him and was about to say something.

"Don't worry, I knocked him out cold. He's tied up in your shed," Raimundo uttered as he started making pancakes. "And Kimiko, I am not leaving. You cannot call the cops on me now because I am unofficially your personal bodyguard. Whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay."

Kimiko led out a shriek as she stormed out and slammed her bedroom door.

"Hey, wait Kimiko! What kind of fruit topping you want with your pancakes?"

A shadowy figure gazed at her crystal ball. A rounded man rushed into her lair and uttered, "I think we have a problem,"

"First thing first," The shadowy being glared at her henchman, "take off that ridiculous disguise! You disgust me; you cannot kidnap her even without her powers! And what the hell is the Wudi Dragon of Wind doing here in Tokyo?"

A samurai appeared, "I did not expect him to be here,"

"I will give you one more chance. I want you to kill the boy and bring me that girl. I want that girl alive and healthy." The mysterious figured glared at the crystal ball, "She's been avoiding her contract for years."

The henchman bowed and disappeared from sight. She stood up from her throne and walked towards a large time glass. She gazed at the projected Kimiko arguing with Raimundo in her room.

"Kimiko Tohomiko, how long much you run away from me? You cannot avoid your fate. Soon, time will run out and you _will _be all **_mine _**. . ."


	3. Chapter 3

**3. **

"I am very much in a state of confusion dear friend."

Twenty-nine year old Clay Bailey raised his brow as he leaned against Dojo's tail as he tipped his old cowboy hat, "What ya reckon?"

"The moment Dojo told me about Kimiko's situation and whereabouts," Omi sighed, "I did not know how to come about it. Master Fung stressed out greatly of letting her be but I cannot help it but to disobey his orders. I told him myself,"

"And what did he say?"

"That what confused the undesirable waste out of me!"

Clay made a disgusted face as he sat up straight, "Um, Omi that is just wrong in many levels. Do you mean '_that confused the living crap outta ya_?"

"Ah, same thing," Omi snorted, "Anyways, he told me a Japanese tale which I was not at all familiar with. From what I remembered, he told me a story about a young kuro miko who used much treason to her satisfaction. She used to grant her victims wishes and made them sign it in a sealed contract. Her manipulation and her use of double meanings were very deadly; once the victim wishes were completed, it only took time until the victim had to pay his or her debts. If one does not pay their debt, one suffered many consequences,"

"So, what does this have to do with Kimiko?"

"Hush! I was not finished!" Omi glared at the rigid cowboy, "Anyways, one day, her sister, who was just a novice miko, confronted the kuro miko and asked for a favor. She inherited her mother's powers; their father had a secret affair with a wanderer who happened to be a witch. As she grew, her powers were more and more vulnerable towards exposure. Her love of her father, who was a well-known priest, was priceless; she would do anything to get rid of her gifted powers to protect her father. And so, the kuro miko took away her powers but tricked her and, in return, wanted something even more."

"Sorry to interrupt again, but I am not familiar with the Japanese culture," Clay fastidiously uttered, "first thing first, what is a miko?"

"I, too, am not familiar with the culture," Omi rubbed his baldhead, "I really have no idea. Anyways, then Master Fung told me that the novice miko confronted her and kuro miko took the desirable demands that she wanted. It somehow counterattacked and she lost everything. Meanwhile, the novice sister, who was still alive later committed suicide and her body turned into ash. She was soon forgotten."

"Wow," Clay whistled, "that story is as messed up as witnessing headless chickens running around in a coop. What do you think made the sister commit suicide?"

"I have no idea. Nothing made sense. It must have been very important though."

"What else did Master Fung say?"

"I can leave the temple. He would be watching the Shen Gong Wu artifacts during my absence. He stressed out not to bring any Shen Gong Wu artifacts along, it would do no good in future battles and he wished me much luck,"

"This doesn't make any sense." Clay muttered as he leaned forward, "Dojo, have you ever heard of that tale before?"

"Sorry, can't help ya there."

"Ah it doesn't matter, I guess. So what are we reckon to do now? Without the Shen Gong Wu, finding Kimiko is like finding a needle in a large haystack. On top of that, Rai headed towards Japan already without us. And Japan is a massive place; I reckon Rai is as lost as blind cattle in a desert."

Omi, whose appearance had changed drastically through the years, turned his attention to Clay, frustrated, "Damn that Raimundo! He always does something impulsive. He makes things much harder,"

"You know that boy," Clay snickered, "when it comes to Kimiko, he is as love struck as a mature jack rabbit without a partner."

Even at the age of twenty-seven, some things never change when it came to the bald monk, "What?"

Clay blinked, "Ah, just forget about it."

Kimiko peeked into the living room and found Raimundo asleep on the floor. It was amazing how he still can sleep through the noises all around him. Construction workers questioned her about Rai. She simply told them he does not like the coach. They shrugged and resumed fixing up her house.

She ambled her way towards him. He used the stolen tuxedo jacket as a blanket and his dried up pants as a pillow. His tousled hair was frizzy; the discomfort of the wooden floors he felt throughout the night expressed clearly all over his face. After all these years, she could not help it but to have a soft spot for him. Was it infatuation, hormones or love? She had no idea. Her heart fluttered; she had been fighting the urge to just throw her arms around him and cry out how much she had missed him throughout the years. She had to harden her emotions; it would be selfish to get any of her friends involved with her present problem.

Problems she faced these days were not that hard; she always had faced bastards like her uncle and her cousin who wanted nothing more than money. She then thought about the shadowy figure for a moment. What was the connection between her greedy relatives and the creature that attacked her in the bathroom a couple nights ago?

Suddenly, nothing made sense.

Kimiko slowly lifted his head and laid it on her lap. He had matured through the years; masculine features were well defined. His bangs were a bit longer and his eyes were memorizing. His even tone tan brought out his athletic features. He has a bit of a peach frizz developing around his chin.

She ran her fingertips through his hair.

"What happen in the past will forever remain in the past," Kimiko mumbled as she gazed downwards, "Please, understand that Rai. I already did my fair share for the temple . . ."

Were all the sacrifices she had made so far worth it? Because of her, her friends can live happy and carefree lives. The world had been a safer place ever since the Wudi Warriors reclaimed all the Shen Gong Wu artifacts. Raimundo and Clay could go home and visit their families; Omi could continue protecting the Shen Gong Wu artifacts and live a happier life. She was reunited with her single father and helped him ran the family business. She still managed to have a social life, finished school, get a job, and get a nice apartment.

Everything seemed to fall into place.

It was worth destroying her cherished friendships and her youthful life.

To Kimiko, it was a no-brainer decision. As long she had everything under control, she would make it through.

She sighed. If they knew the truth, they would suffer greatly.

If only she could make them understand that concept in _not-so-many_ words.

The young Brazilian stirred, Kimiko froze. She slowly lifted his head, laid it back down onto his so-called pillow, and left the room.

He woke up and found Kimiko standing next to a large mirror as she put on earrings. She wore a pair a worn out jeans and a regular shirt. Raimundo raised a brow; it was not like Kimiko to be so casual. Then again, she was never herself for years.

Rai stretched out his arms, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Why do you care? You're not going anyway."

"Oh yes I am," Rai stood up, exposing his bare chest and his rubber ducky boxers, "you are in danger and as long as you are in danger, I am here to stay. Besides, I am your personal bodyguard, remember?"

"First thing first," Kimiko snapped, "if you planned on wasting your time here have the **_decency _**to dress in full attire and not walk around half naked around my apartment! You're not in a circus!"

Raimundo slyly grinned at her as he crossed his arms, "Too much of a distraction, huh? I am sorry to hear that you cannot handle Rai goods---"

She punched him on the shoulder, "Keep dreaming,"

"Damn, that's one thing that never changes."

"**_Anyways_**," she fixed her glare at him, "I have no choice but to let you stay. However, you will not interfere with my life! I think I could handle my greedy uncle and cousin just fine. I do not need you to protect me. You will stay here unless something happens. You got it?"

"No,"

She sighed deeply. Raimundo's stubbornness would be the death of her, "Argh, why are you so hardheaded? Why don't you just listen to me for once in your life?"

"I-I just don't."

She tried to avoid his gaze but failed miserably. She felt weak; she wanted to make him hate her. She felt desperate and bothered. If she had to destroy her relationship with Raimundo to keep him safe, so be it.

"Don't make it any harder than it is," Kimiko mumbled through gritted teeth. "Just forget about the past already!"

"Oh yea, forget about the past. Smooth move, Kimiko! Does that include our friendship as well?"

"Argh, I am tired of arguing with you! Just stay here!"

She grabbed her purse and was about to make her way to the front door until Raimundo grabbed her by the forearm. "I am going with you!"

"No, you are not going with me!"

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

Without saying another word, she punched Raimundo in the face as hard as she can and walked out. Raimundo shook his head a bit. As he slipped into the business suit that he stole yesterday, one of the construction workers who witnessed the brawl came closer him, "She's one of a kind, huh?"

"She's a worthy bitch, that's all I can say," And quickly followed her.

Kimiko walked into a persevered shrine that was just a couple blocks away from her place. She slid a rusty door open and walk into the dark room. Raimundo managed to catch up and entered the room as well; he gazed and studied his surroundings.

"What is this place?"

Kimiko faced her unprofessional bodyguard, screamed and fell on her bottom, "God, Rai! You scared me! Why did you follow me?"

"I told you I was coming!" He snorted.

"Can you act your age for once? Fine, just wait for me outside, okay. That's the least you can do for me."

"What is this place?"

"Do I have to explain everything to you?" Kimiko harshly whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

Kimiko rubbed her temples as she lit up candles around the room. Raimundo eyes widen and shut his mouth.

"Yes, Rai," Kimiko rolled her eyes as kneeled down next to a tombstone, "it's a preserved cemetery. I come here every time I have a free morning to give respects to my ancestors and my mother."

"Oh,"

She used the same candle to burn incenses that were on both sides of the first row of tombstones. She bowed her head and started to pray. Smoke surrounded her; Raimundo never took his eyes off her. He slowly made his way towards her, kneeled down and he too started to give his respects. Kimiko gazed at Raimundo as he imitated her and started to mumble his blessings. A smile gradually spread across the Asian's girl face as she resumed with her prayer.

The slam of the rusty door started them. Kimiko quickly stood up and found Tao standing there in a weird stance.

"I know what you're up to, Tao; you are a greedy bastard like your father! If you dare to shoot me again, I swear---"

Before Kimiko came any closer, Raimundo pushed her aside and held her close to him. Kimiko blinked and was confused at first until she saw two fiery arrows melted into her mother's tombstone. Her cousin's soft eyes glowed bloody red; he floated midair and pointed his next arrow towards Raimundo.

"Spare your life, you fool and give me the girl,"

Raimundo pushed Kimiko aside and charged towards him. He gave it his all and yet Tao still managed to block his every move. He was too fast for the monk; his attacks were powerful. Raimundo landed and wiped the blood that dripped down his mouth. He did not understand how Kimiko's cousin possessed so much power. Tao did not wait for him to recover; he charged at him and smashed him into the wall. A large tornado tossed Tao across the room and knocked him out. Raimundo quickly gazed back at Kimiko, "We could combine elements! Kimiko, use your fire element on a count to three. . . "

Kimiko flustered and blurred out, "Raimundo, I can't!"

"What, wait why?"

A great force tossed Raimundo across the room and made him yelp out in pain. The pressure of a fiery long arrow pierced into his shoulder and pinned him against the wall. Blood streamed down his shoulder; it smeared his clothing and the wall. The fire kept burning within him. Kimiko ran towards Raimundo; she suddenly felt immobilized and floated towards her own cousin.

"Why are you doing this? I am the victim here, not Rai! Please, stop torturing him! You'll kill him!"

"You must pay your debts, Ms. Tohomiko."

"What do you want? Do you want my father's company? Do you want more money? What more do you want from me?"

"She is not interested with your pathetic money. You have not paid off your debt. You've been avoiding the contract for years."

"What are you talking about?"

"You do remember, dear Kimiko. It just happened fifteen years ago,"

Kimiko eyes shot opened as she started to exclaimed, "She already took the greatest possession I got! I finished paying off my debt to that witch!" Tears started streaming down Kimiko's face, "What else does she want?"

"More,"

A surge of water crashed into Tao as it made him lose his grip on Kimiko. Clay used his lasso to capture Kimiko and pulled her onto Dojo's back. As she grasped for air, she saw Clay rushed to help Raimundo.

Suddenly, everything around Kimiko turned dark.

Kimiko abruptly awoke by the sounds of screaming. She scanned her surroundings; how did she end up back at her apartment? What happen to her cousin? What was going on?

She grabbed her robe and made her way to the kitchen. As she peeked into the room, she found Clay removing the arrow from the Brazilian monk's shoulder. It made Raimundo screamed out bloody murder. Omi, who was now taller and as manly as Raimundo, was mixing herbs that he packed in his backpack. She slid down and hugged herself; what had she done? It was bad enough her friends were involved. It was even worse that something she thought she handled years ago went out of control. She thought back; what did she do wrong? What did she miss along the way?

"What the _hell _is going on here?" Clay uttered as he broke the arrow in half and started to wash off the infected wound.

"I am as c-confuse as you are, Clay," Raimundo stuttered. "I never fought against anyone with so much p-power. That cousin of hers was definitely possessed; there was no way that he can handle that kind of power."

"What on Earth had Kimiko gotten herself into?" Dojo added as he brought out a clean rug for Omi.

Raimundo gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the continuous pain that ran throughout his body.

"Raimundo, you must rest. We will figure out what is going on by tomorrow morning," Omi smiled as he rested the soaked cloth on his wound. "We will talk to Kimiko and figure out what is going on."

"S-she refused to tell me. S-she won't tell you either," Raimundo snorted, "She kept trying to kick me out of the house. M-most likely, she will do the same thing to you guys."

"Well, I guess we don't have a choice but to do some research ourselves. Besides, she's against three of us guys," Clay smirked, "although her temper does scare any critter off the face on this Earth, I reckon we can handle her. I am here to stay."

Raimundo smirked and used what was left of his energy to lay his hand on the brandy cowboy's shoulder.

"I had been worried about Kimiko the moment she ran away from the Xiaolin Temple ," Omi sighed as he sat on top of a table, "I cannot help but to worry about her even more. Being the weakest---"

"O-Omi," Raimundo glared, "n-now it's not the time."

"Oh," Omi blushed as he cleared his throat, "I am here to stay."

"That settles it," Clay smashed his fist into his hand, "we should hit the sack. At dawn, we should start planning what to do. Hey Dojo, you're awfully quiet, what's wrong?"

"I have the feeling we're not the only one in the kitchen."

Kimiko turned pale; she wanted to rush into her room and pretended to be sleeping until Omi called her name. She revealed herself slowly; her gaze remained on the floor. Their voices had changed; she noted. Years had changed Omi drastically; it kind-of threw her off guard. Raimundo and Clay somewhat remained the same in some aspects; but they too, were now men.

She raised her gaze towards three angry men and an angry minimized dragon. Kimiko never saw this day coming; she never even planned that this would ever happen.

Then again, she had no idea what was going on.

"Hey, you guys!" She weakly smiled, "it's been a while, huh?"

"You are not running away from us anymore," Omi started as he approached her, "you are not going to lie to us or hide from us any longer! What is going on Kimiko? Why are you doing this to us?"

"It would be so much easier if you informed us what is going on. It almost killed Raimundo for pete sakes, Kimiko!" Clay added irritably, "You better tell us the truth! What have you done, Kimiko?"

"I told him to get out of my life. He got hurt because of it. I could handle my own problems!" She screamed, "Why don't you guys understand that? I do not want you, Rai, Omi, you and Dojo to be involved with my problems! Why don't you guys just leave me alone?"

Omi slowly approached her and lifted her chin, "What made you so bitter, Kimiko? You were never like this."

Hot tears rushed down her rosy cheeks as she glared at them, "Things changed, Omi. We have our own lives."

Then she rushed towards her room and left three dumfounded monks and a curious dragon behind.

Dojo managed to slip from the kitchen and followed Kimiko.

Once Kimiko slammed her door shut, she started to cry. Visions of Raimundo suffering and the Omi and Clay shocking reaction towards her coldness flashed into her mind. She was breaking down; she felt empty and depressed. Her face became crimson; her eyes looked blood shot. She started to dig her head into the pillow and sobbed loudly. Ironically, she never felt so lonely. She was scared; she thought she had everything under control.

"Mother, please help me," she started to mumbled desperately, "I know I am doing the right thing! It just takes time right, mom? It will go away soon,"

She stared at the full moon reflecting through her window, "I cannot hurt my friends anymore. I cannot tell them what happened back then. God, what do you want from me, Mitsuko Yasu? I gave you my element!"

Heat risen all over her body. Pain struck, it made her rolled up her sleeves and revealed a fresh scar forming on her wrists. Dojo, within the shadows, held his breath. Kimiko wiped her tears and continued to stare at the weird looking scar.

"Please, just take what you want from me." Her eyes never left the scar, "All I asked is to leave Rai, Omi and Clay out of this. Do you understand?"

Dojo watched Kimiko desperately hugged herself and continued to gaze at her scar.

He managed to crawl out her room and spend the night flying back to China .


	4. Chapter 4

**4. **

_"I still don't think this is right," _

_"You think its right to leave a ten year old out in the cold? What is wrong with you? She needs guidance and shelter. I am sure she could make a great miko. The high priests will not question her past---"_

_"If she stays here, you might as well give yourself in! The young girl knows who you are; I cannot just pretend to be this child's father! Just look at her eerie cerulean eyes; they are evil spirits within her! She holds the powers of that evil witch. She will expose her powers and will become your downfall! Are you willing to lose everything for this bastard child?"_

_The young girl whimpered silently as she hid herself behind her father. "She is my daughter." _

_"Dear brother, do understand this scenario! Set your priorities straight; your present is essential in this shrine. People need your wisdom and guidance! It would be quite selfish to sacrifice everything for this mere child!" _

_**"She is my daughter!" **_

_The older man stared at him for a moment. The young priest picked up his daughter and held her closely. _

_"Very well," the older priest snorted as he stood up and made his way towards the door, "I will go along with your plan. But when she develops those uncontrollable evil powers, I cannot do much more than to turn her in." _

_"Thank you," _

_Three years later, she studied vividly under a cherry blossom tree. The punishment was tedious once again; her training as a miko was quite demanding and difficult. Her uncle was harsh and kept telling her how fortune she was to be his brother's father or she would have been executed long time ago. _

_She was a calm teenager. She followed every order and accepted every punishment without questioning. Her beginning years as a miko introduced her to the famous Mitsuko Yasu, her father's first child. She too lifted her father's name with great pride. They were fifteen years apart; Mitsuko Yasu was always in the spotlight and she was always in the shadows. Mitsuko knew about her sister's dark past and took it to her advantage. _

_One night, the thirteen year old woke up from a starting dream. She snuck out from her room and ran through the woods. She stopped and fell on her knees next to a split leafless tree. She buried her tiny hands into the soil. Her white and red robes were filthy the moment she stopped digging. Her eyes widen as she reached down and laid a large textbook across her lap. She blew the dirt off and opened it. In the middle of the book was a small jewelry box. Once opened, she reached into it and gazed at its beauty. She wore it around her neck and was about to amble back to the shrine until her eyes flashed black. The evil energy within was released beyond her control and soon the enchanted forest was under the flames of fiery hell. She fell back and made a run for it. Suddenly, someone fell right on top of her--- _

Kimiko shot up from her bed. She breathed heavily; cold sweat slowly rolled down her forehead. The room was unrealistically messy; she shook her head violently. She panicked; her wrists started to burn and she started to cry out. Rolling up her long sleeves, the scars were still there.

As she calmed down a bit, Kimiko averted her attention towards the lazy ceiling fan and took another deep breath. Her attention went abruptly from her endless thoughts to her dream. Kimiko suddenly recognized the place where that ten-year-old girl found that book.

She gazed at the window intensively.

In the living room, Raimundo gazed at the oversized polo shirt and the pin strip over coat. It had dried bloodstains and tears all over the right shoulder. He laid out the orange suspenders, black dress pants, the oversized mossy pants, a pair of large smelly dress shoes and one clown shoe.

Man does he need clothes.

Clay leaned against the doorframe and made his way towards the sulky Brazilian. He could not help himself but to laugh at him. "From the looks of it, I reckon you take care of them rubber ducky boxers ya wearing because that's all you have left."

Raimundo glared at him and then sulky looked at the articles of clothing that lay on the couch.

"Ah, cheer up, Raimundo! Once we figured out where Dojo is, we can pass by your place and get some clothing."

"Wait, Dojo isn't here?"

"He disappeared from sight ever since that strange Kimiko incident that occurred last night. Speaking of Kimiko, what are we going to do with her? If we planned on finding out what was going on, we have to keep her at close range at all times. We reckon we don't want a repeat of yesterday."

"Should we worry about Dojo?"

"He's probably off to see Master Fung," Clay shrugged, "I doubt he would get any more information about what happened to Kimiko than what he already gave to Omi."

"Wait, what did he say to Omi?"

"Some old Japanese tale about some creepy miko whatever committing suicide and other stuff,"

Raimundo raised a brow, "Wait, what! What's a miko?"

"Exactly,"

"Well anyways, we can't be separated either," Raimundo, sighed as he sat down, "whatever they are, they're way too powerful. We barely escape that last battle! What if---"

"Clay, Raimundo, we have a situation!"

Raimundo rolled his eyes, "Um, Omi, where were you the night when we were attacked by Kimiko's psychopathic cousin?"

"No I am at most serious!" Omi exclaimed, "We should worry about Kimiko!"

"We've been worried about her since day one, partner" Clay sighed, "are you sure you didn't fell on your head during that last battle?"

Steam came out from his ears as he narrowed his eyes, "I did not fell on my head! Kimiko is missing! She is not in her room!"

"WAIT, WHAT!"

All three of them rushed into Kimiko's room and found nothing else but an open window.

The rain started to pour profoundly. It took Kimiko a while to reach her father's house. She quickly brushed off her old nannies, entered the large backyard and made her way into the woods. Childhood memories rushed into her mind as she made her way through the distorted forest. Her great grandmother used to tell her many fascinating Japanese tales of gods, priestess, brave samurais and heartfelt love stories. She remembered one tale in particular called the Double Sighted Miko. Her great grandmother stressed out how the novice miko blessings lived forever upon this very ground. Her father never believed his grandmother's stories; he would tease her like the rest of his family.

She ran faster; among the whole family, she was the only one who believed her great grandmother stories.

Her curiosity got her into trouble because of it.

Kimiko halted right in front of a dead tree. Suddenly, everything around her seemed to turn back to her dream. The rain suddenly stops; she was dry. The woods gained back their youthful greens and the expired ashes around her turned into healthy soil. Her long raven hair was now short and tied back with an old handmade ribbon. Her outfit suddenly became looser and smaller. In fact, she became smaller.

Her hands were suddenly filthy. The scar disappeared and a necklace rested softly between her immature breasts. As she was about to touch it, a slender girl was right in front of her.

Kimiko squealed and fell on her bottom, "W-who are you?"

The young ghastly girl slowly smiled. She pointed at her locket. Kimiko gazed at it and was confused, "Wait, you were that little girl in my dreams! You were here before. Why are you pointing at this locket? Are you going to help me?"

She blinked a couple of times and looked up into the grey skies. Kimiko barely stood up. Leaning her body weight against the tree, she ignored the pain from her ankle. "I-I don't understand."

Suddenly arrows shot from every direction towards Kimiko. She cringed and was about to face the agony of her death until the young girl stopped it midway. Kimiko slowly peeked up to find a force field around her. An army of dead looking samurais turned into ash the moment she shot her arrow . . .

Raimundo fell right on top of her, protecting her from the creatures around her. Clay used his element to isolate the two from the zombies. Omi cleared the area by flooding the distorted forest. Raimundo carried Kimiko over his injured shoulder and ran out from the woods as fast as he can. Kimiko managed to gaze back at the aftermath of the ambush.

The little girl disappeared.

They stopped to the closest secluded place near Kimiko's apartment. Raimundo slowly place Kimiko onto the ground and told Omi to shut the rusty door. She faintly heard rainfall once more; her clothes were drenched. Clay turned pale the moment he realized what the place truly was. Kimiko sat up and gazed at a shivering Raimundo ripping off a piece of his mossy clown pants to wrap around her ankle. Even with his lips trembling, he managed to glare at her. Raimundo was about to yell at her but Omi rushed between them and angrily ran his mouth at Kimiko so fast it gave her a migraine.

"First of," She winced a little when Raimundo elevated her leg on his lap, "I'm sorry I did that."

"I-Is that all you can say to us! You must b-be out of your mind running off like that under the pouring rain! A-After many h-hours of running a-around Tokyo like l-lunatics," Raimundo managed to say, "We were a-ambushed and were a-almost killed until we managed to flee thanks to some little girl!"

Kimiko eyes widen.

"Then," Clay added, "that same pale young girl led the way. She barely said anything. She led us to you. We saw you talking to yourself. We were about to approach you and wake you up until an army of dead looking samurais came out from the ground and attacked us. Raimundo dove right in front of you and saved you. We managed to flee from that one too."

"Wait, you guys saw a little girl too?"

"Um, y-yea, why?"

'How is that possible?' she thought as she gazed at the locket that rested on the palm of her hands. 'How can the little girl be in two places at one time? Man, this stuff is getting more confusing----'

"Um, Kim," Clay flatly spoken, "I hate to break your little staring contest with that thingy that you're wearing but its getting pretty dark. Raimundo here barely has any clothes left to wear. The least we want right now is Raimundo catching a cold---"

She zoned out Clay and gazed at Raimundo. He wore his clown pants, orange suspenders and had no shoes. He looked paler; he was tired and goose bumps became visible all over his body. Kimiko wanted to slap herself. She had been worried about her problems for so long that she had forgotten her friend's well-being. She zoned out the fact that Raimundo had literally dropped everything for her and all she had been doing in return was giving him a hard time.

Guilt stuck her throughout the rest of the night as she guided them to her apartment.

Raimundo, Omi and Clay took turns using the bathroom. Kimiko quickly went out and bought Raimundo's clothes, take out and three twin size inflatable mattresses. One she reached home, all three of them were in their under garments watching TV. She sighed and mumbled how it reminded her of the good old times back in the Xiaolin Temple. Setting the food up in front of them, no one hesitated to grab a plate. Raimundo took the opportunity to change into nice comfortable pajamas and sat back down. He gazed at Kimiko as she inflated the mattresses and set numerous bags of clothing on top of his mattress without saying a word. His eyes never left her; she limped back into the room, started to lay out bed sheets, and set out neatly folded blankets. Once everything was set, Kimiko said her good nights and went straight to the bathroom. No one dared questioned her strange and impulsive behavior. Instead, Raimundo got their attention by revealing a soiled ancient book that he found lying next to the dead tree.

Kimiko gazed at the locket one more time before she submerged herself in a tub filled with warm water and colorful bubbles. For the rest of the night, her thoughts went back to the little girl and her dream.


End file.
